An article on a recent Ontario Superior Court decision related to surplus pension assets was the most-read article on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: 1. Court decision in surplus pension case has no precedent for plan sponsors 2. Permanent EOT […]
A recent Ontario Superior Court decision related to surplus pension assets was a rubber stamp of the monitor’s recommendations, rather than a decision with precedential value impacting pension plan sponsors. The judge awarded $4.7 million in surplus pension plan funds to former employees of vehicle parts manufacturer Accuride Canada Inc. who lost their jobs at […]
The federal government’s recent announcement that it will make the employee ownership trust tax exemption permanent is a major incentive for employers to transition their businesses to employee ownership, says Elspeth Murray, director of the centre for entrepreneurship, innovation and social impact at Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business. In the recent spring economic update, […]
The combination of several innovations in defined contribution pension plan design can dramatically improve retirement readiness across income levels, according to a new report by Mercer. Its annual retirement readiness barometer analyzed the impact of two key innovations — variable payment life annuities and exposure to alternative investments like private markets — alongside plan flexibility […]
An article on British Columbia’s updated pension standards, including the introduction of auto-escalation for defined contribution pension plans, was the most-read article on BenefitsCanada.com this past week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the last week: B.C. amending pension legislation, including auto-escalation for DC plans Ontario pension plan assets […]
Pension plan membership in Ontario increased year-over-year to 4.8 million in 2025 and David Bartucci, head of pension plan operations and regulatory effectiveness at the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario, says it’s a welcome surprise. “We’ve invested energy in the Pension Awareness Day [campaign and] to see an increase in the number of people […]
British Columbia’s provincial government is updating its pension standards to support retirement income security and flexibility, including the introduction of automatic escalation for defined contribution pension plan members. Effective Oct. 30, 2026, auto-escalation will be introduced to B.C.-based DC plans and members will have the option to opt out of the feature. Auto-escalation helps address […]
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday calling for a new government website where people in the U.S. can find and compare private-sector retirement savings accounts. The order is intended to help more people gain access to retirement plans before next year, when the federal government will start matching retirement contributions made by lower-income workers. That new matching contribution comes […]
The Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities’ 2026–2029 strategic plan is focusing on regulatory harmonization, pension supervision and stakeholder engagement. The strategic plan comes as pension plan sponsors and members continue to navigate economic and geopolitical uncertainty, including inflation, higher interest rates and market volatility, alongside ongoing concerns around retirement readiness. Read:2026 DC Plan Summit: […]
In its sophomore year under its new branding, the Employee Savings Survey (previously known as the CAP Member Survey) reflects the changing landscape of workplace savings programs as plan members face competing financial priorities and employers step up to expand their offerings. Going even further, some of this year’s results were broken down into different […]